The main heavy cavalry in the Sixth Cuirassier Regiment, the heavy breastplates they are equipped with are customized according to the individual physical conditions of the soldiers, instead of wearing the same general breastplates issued by the military as other cavalry.
First.
As for the war horses that better reflect the status of the cavalry unit, the main war horses attached to the 6th Cuirassier Regiment are all the same. They are the latest masterpieces of imperial horse breeding and the most satisfactory type of war horse for the Army in the past ten years: Tumi horses.
Like the 3rd Cavalry Division, the horses attached to its subordinate light cuirassiers were only Central Asian horses.
And this Tumi horse is currently the most suitable war horse for heavy cavalry in the Tang Army.
In the Tang Empire, it is now recognized that the best and most suitable war horse for heavy cavalry is the Jurong horse. The shoulder height is generally more than 1.65 meters, and its explosive power is outstanding. It is the best in terms of size and explosive power.
However, Jurong horses are also recognized as the most delicate horses. The cost of feeding them is high and they are very demanding on the environment.
Therefore, many generals in the army have always had a very contradictory attitude towards Jurong horses. They want to equip Jurong horses on a large scale, but they cannot afford to raise them. In addition, they are also picky about the climate.
In the past few years, because the explosive power and size of the Jurong horses were so good, the army's cavalry generals couldn't help it. They tried to introduce a few hundred horses to see if they could be equipped with heavy cuirassiers. The result was that within half a year,
The Army transferred these Jurong horses to the Guards.
It’s not that it’s not good, it’s just that it’s so good that the Army can’t afford it!
Those things are too delicate. To feed and maintain their combat effectiveness, the Army needs to spend a lot of money. Later, I calculated that the money the Army spent on raising one Jurong horse was enough for them to raise ten Arabian horses. In addition,
, the inability of Jurong horses to adapt to the severe cold climate in the Beiyuan area is also an important reason. They dare not let them out in the winter and can only be raised indoors.
So so far, they still only have enough money, and they also serve as royal ceremonial cavalry to a certain extent. The First Lancer Regiment of the Guards, which has been stationed in the Jiangnan area for a long time, is equipped with Jurong horses.
None of the other troops had Jurong horses.
Except for the Jurong horses, the top war horses in the Tang Empire are naturally the Tumi horses bred by the empire.
This kind of Tumi horse is actually the product of breeding the best Arabian horse mares selected by the empire and the outstanding stallions from Jurong Mali.
The pedigree of the Jurong horse is very complex, so the pedigree of the Tumi horse is also relatively complex. For example, it still retains quite a few characteristics of the Arabian horse as a whole.
The Turkish horses bred by the empire are taller and more explosive than purebred Arabian horses, but have slightly less endurance.
The average shoulder height of its stallions can reach 1.55 meters, and the outstanding ones can even reach 1.6 meters.
Relatively speaking, this data is naturally far weaker than the Jurong horse's average shoulder height of 1.65 meters, but it is stronger than the Arabian's shoulder height of between 1.44 and 1.52 meters.
In terms of explosive power, it is stronger than the Arabian horse and weaker than the Jurong horse.
Although its endurance is weaker than that of Arabian horses, it is much better than the delicate Jurong horses.
In terms of feeding, they are much more delicate than Arabian horses, but far less delicate than Jurong horses.
It also has a relatively strong ability to adapt to climate. It can barely adapt to the rainforest in the south or the cold zone in the north. If fed properly, it can barely maintain its combat effectiveness.
If we compare the various horses currently bred and used on a large scale in the Tang Dynasty with the cars of later generations, then there is no doubt that the Jurong Horse is a supercar that costs millions or even tens of millions.
Arabian horses and Central Asian horses are mid-level cars costing hundreds of thousands.
Northwest Horse is an A-type car priced at over RMB 100,000.
As for the Mongolian Horse and the Southwest Horse, they are entry-level compact models that cost tens of thousands of dollars and can be used
The Tumi horses developed in recent years are million-level large sedans or entry-level sports cars.
And this is also the heavy cavalry horse that is considered ideal within the Tang Army.
Jurong horses cannot be used, and Arabian and Central Asian horses still have some limitations, not to mention northwest horses.
Therefore, after the army bred the Tumi horse, it immediately invested heavily in large-scale breeding, and even came up with a localized name, called Tumi horse.
In the Tang Dynasty Army, there were actually not many troops equipped with Tumi Horses, only a few independent cavalry regiments. The main reason was that the number of Tumi Horses was not large at present, and only a few independent cavalry regiments could be equipped with them.
There are only a few thousand horses in service in the entire army.
The main war horse in the 6th Cuirassier Regiment is the Tumi Horse.
From the war horses to the equipment, it can actually be seen that the Sixth Cuirassiers Regiment has received great attention.
The 6th Cuirassiers also deserved such generous treatment. Even though it was just a regiment, in a real fight, an ordinary cavalry division was really no match for the 6th Cuirassiers.
From war horses to equipment to cavalry's personal qualities to logistical support, etc., there is a huge gap between them.
In addition to the Sixth Cuirassier Regiment, the First Cavalry Army also has the Seventh Cuirassier Regiment, which is also an independent cavalry regiment with good combat effectiveness.
Moreover, this is the second time that the 7th Cuirassier Regiment has gone to the battlefield in Central Asia. In the early years, this unit was attached to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and entered Central Asia as a combat unit. Later, it was rotated back to the mainland for rest.
This year, he was transferred back to Central Asia and assigned to the First Cavalry Army.
With two independent cavalry regiments in hand, plus the cavalry and artillery regiment directly under the military headquarters and the baggage troops, the total strength is nearly 7,000.
The actual combat effectiveness is probably greater than the sum of the two cavalry divisions.
Therefore, if we want to defeat the main Tatar cavalry in the future, the troops directly under the military headquarters must also arrive on the battlefield. Otherwise, the three cavalry divisions on the front line alone may not be able to achieve any great results.
At most, like many times in the past, the two sides are evenly matched. In this case, the two sides most of the time do not dare to engage in a decisive battle without authorization. In the end, you often stare at me and I stare at you until the situation changes.
And this change often leads to one of the parties taking the initiative to retreat.
But now, Dai Yaxin wanted to use his trick to lure in the main force of the Tatars, and then assemble his own main force to give them a hard blow.
Of course, before that, they still have to find their main cavalry in the south.
If you can't find anyone, forget about everything.
That night, the generals of various units of the First Cavalry Army felt that the battle was approaching. That night, the soldiers rested early to recharge their batteries.
At about three o'clock in the morning, the troops directly under the First Cavalry Army all got up in unison and started eating. The cooks had already prepared the food in advance.
After eating, the troops began to march in the dark.
The night is good in the second half of tonight, it is still dark, but there will be soldiers holding torches leading the way, and the soldiers behind will just follow.
The reason why they were able to travel in this moonlight was also related to the large-scale elimination of night blindness within the Tang Dynasty military.
Li Xuan, a later person, knew that night blindness is actually a lack of vitamin A, and many foods are rich in vitamin A, such as chicken and duck offal and some vegetables.
The military's diet will specifically include some foods to prevent and treat night blindness, especially for reconnaissance soldiers in the army, warship lookouts in the navy, etc., which will specifically strengthen night vision.
The navy's professional night lookouts can spot ships on the distant sea even with a little bit of starlight and moonlight.
As for ordinary soldiers, they will not undergo special reinforcement, but generally there is no night blindness.
This also makes marching at night much more convenient. As long as it is not a dark night, even if there are not a lot of torches and only the leader is leading the way, it is still feasible.
Of course, the speed will definitely not be there.
As for everyone holding torches and moving forward, there is nothing to say. They are all holding torches, so what else can they say about the dark night...
As for the troops directly under the First Cavalry Corps, not all of them were holding torches and marching forward. There were only a small number of leading soldiers holding torches. Most of them followed people and walked under the moonlight.
It can barely move, and it won't emit too much fire to be discovered by enemies far away.
They marched continuously for more than four hours and did not stop to rest until about seven o'clock.
At this time, Dai Yaxin had already received a report from the 3rd Cavalry Division, saying that the division had set off at about six o'clock and headed straight for the enemy's two thousand forwards.
At the same time, reports were received from the 2nd Cavalry Division and the 13th Cavalry Division. These two units also followed Dai Yaxin's orders and moved south while moving closer to the 3rd Cavalry Division.
After summarizing the latest situation, Major General Qi Lianzhong, the chief of staff on the side, said: "We are not far from the 3rd Cavalry Division now. It is getting dark now. If the soldiers switch to spare horses, we can definitely do it within two hours."
Arrive."
But Dai Yaxin said: "There is no news about the enemy's main force yet. Don't worry, let the troops rest for an hour and wait for news!"
Dai Yaxin did not stop, but continued: "Let the soldiers eat in time, feed the horses, and rest. The physical fitness of both men and horses must be ensured to be in optimal condition."
"Send an order to the Second Cavalry Division and the Thirteenth Cavalry Division to continue moving closer. They must arrive at their scheduled positions by noon today!"
Major General Qi Lianzhong said: "Yes!"
He knew that the commander-in-chief wanted to play a big game!
The Tatars may have used two thousand enemy cavalry as bait, but Daishin, in turn, used the 3rd Cavalry Division as bait.
Now, it depends on whether those Tatars will take the bait.
Once the Tatars see the bait of the 3rd Cavalry Division and cannot help but attack with their main force, then it will be time for the 1st Cavalry Army to launch a general attack.
At that time, the 3rd Cavalry Division will use frontal defense to hold back the enemy, and the troops directly under the military headquarters will quickly support and launch a frontal impact.
The 2nd Cavalry Division and the 13th Cavalry Division will also attack from the east and west wings!
As long as the encirclement is completed and the 3rd Cavalry Division can hold off the enemy in the early stage, then the chance of winning this battle is still very high.
However, all the above speculations are the speculations of the First Cavalry Army itself!
However, no one can actually know how the actual situation will be discovered. Whether it is Dai Yaxin or Deng Weifang, it is actually difficult for them to completely control the development of the war situation.
Because in all actual wars, plans cannot keep up with changes. There is never any strategy that can be executed from scratch, because there will be many changes in the middle, and some changes are unpredictable.
For example, now, Dai Yaxin and the others would never have thought that there was indeed a main force of Tatar cavalry in the south, but the number was not around 10,000 cavalry as they had expected.